Automatic vending machine



Sept, 27, 1927.

J. PAUPA Au'ronnc vanne-MACHINE Fnedpec. 4.` 1922 2 sheets-Smet 2 T43 w F@ ii W e l g f uw Patented Sept.` 2.7,l 1927. .l i

PATENT. OFFICE.

JOSEPH PAUPA, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; UNION TRUST COMPANY, EXEOUron-OE SAID r JOSEPH PAUPA, DEGEASED, AssIeNoR To JOSEPH rAUrA AND ANNA x. vOLsoH,

Born or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE.

Application inea ne'embgr 4, i922. serial No. 604,779.

' This invention relates to improvements in automatic vending machines, and particularly to improvements in machines through which upon deposition of a coin of predetermined value a rotary support for thearticle to be delivered is freed 'for'rotary" movement, whereby the purchaser may withv draw from the machine a predetermined described in the following with reference to the sale of a predetermined length of ,.a web of paper, as for instance paper towels, 1t will naturally lind application to many other uses.

lt is an object of the invention to support a spool or bobbin of the irnaterialv in such manner that the material may be dispensed by rotation ot the support, andto eect a manual control, the control means being normally locked and being released upon deposit-ion of avcoin of predetermined value only.

lt is another object of the invention to arrange a lock for a rotary member and to utilize a coin as a connecting element between a handle member and a device whichv holdsthe member against rotation, whereby upon actuating the handle, the device'will be actuated by the coin to be subsequently' returned automatically to locking position, the coin also `being released from engagement with the locking device.

rThe invention also has the Object of arresting the coin in such relation with res ect to the locking member -that a very s ort movement of the control member will suiice to produce a relatively long movement at one end of the locking member to safely carry said end to releaseposition. n

The invention also has the lobject of effecting the opening ofa gate through which the l strip or article to be dispensed may bewithdrawn, the opening' `movement of the ate being controlled from a rotary element w ich nopmally is looked against movement.

t is also an object of theinvention to combine withl the gate control mechanism in addition to the means for positively moving the gate to opening position, means for drawing the gate normally toward closing.

position and additional means for forcing the gate into absolute tight closing position.

-With these .and other Objects 1n view; ani" embodiment of the invention' is described in -of bars 16 which are f the following specification vand illustrated in the accompa ying drawings.- Fig. 1 isa front view-ofthe cover plate being removed;

'Fig'.,Q' is a vertical sectional view of the same on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, 1 parts being shown broken away toreveal a portionn ofthe .coin control and i V length of vthe article. While the machinev is gearing;

trolledflocking mechanism in locking position Fig.- e-is a similar view showing the mechan1sm in release position;

5s device, the

Fig. Sis a front elevation of the coin con- Fig. 5 is a detail view of the mechanism i,

(for drawing the gate to closing position.

The container 1, preferably in the shape of a rectangularcasing, is providedwith grooves 2 on opposite side walls to permit of the insertion of a roller or spindle 3 on which the spool of paper or other iexible 4material 4 to be dispensed, is stored.l A. -catchgenerally indicated at 5, permits the introduction of the journals of this spool through the grooves-2 to the endsvof the groove' which are deected downward; a rewithdrawal or elevation of the catch 5; and

moval of this spool can only be had upon this again may be eected only upon removal of the cover of the easing which is not edge ofthe bottom 10 of the container,'while the pivots 11 are near the upper endof the gate; The latter-is connected near its lower edgebymeans'of links 12 with vthe ends'of shown.v The lateral walls of the containerH springs 13, the other ends of which are'` anchored at 14 on ing. These springs 13 acting `on the rear ends ofthe. links`12 therefore have al tend'- to force the gate into .open position.

ency The links 12 are movably'connected byv pin and-slot arrangement. `15 with the lower ends pivotally supported at thetop at 17 Onthe side walls of the casing. Other springs' 18, heavier and stiffer than springs 13 andL connected with the links in front ofthe bars 16 and anchored also at the lower ends of the depending bars, serve f for. electing a com lete c osure ofthe gate 7 when the bars are eld'. in retracted position.

the side walls of the,cas i los The release of the gate to open position to permit the withdrawal of the web W is under control of a device L which ma .be operated lupon'insertion of' a coin. T is device also controls a gearing generally indicated at and associated with a conveying roller 21 by means of lwhichthe web W may be withdrawn from the part 3 on which it is lus v is provided with a roughened surface andas v ticularly upon rotation of roller 21.

the two rollers are in frictional oengagement .with opposite' surfaces of the web,' a posi-- tive feeding action will be obtained upon rotatlon of either one of said rollers, and par- AThe yroller 21 carriesat one end a gear 23 which is in engagement with a relativelyy large gear 24 under.. direct control of the coin device L. Both of the gear elements 23 and 24 are mounted ina recess or pocket 25 in one of the side walls of the container and may be adjacent a casing 26 which is fastened to the outer surface of the container and which incloses the coin Vcontrol mechanism L. Upon rotation of the larger gear 24 rotation at increased speed will be transmitted to the pinion 23, whichv will thereby 'effect rotation ofthe conve ing roller 21 for carrying frictionally a pre etermined length of the web W through the gate. t

`The coin controlled locking mechanism is arranged to effect a predetermined number of revolutions of the larger gear 24 and to4 lock said `gear again after having gone through .this movement. Hence the conveying roller 21 also can make only a predetermined number of revolutions and, depending upon the circumference of this roller, the length of material W which can be dispensed from the container upon deposition of a coin is exactly -predetermmed The coin control mechanism L i-nthe embodiment illustrated comprisesthe casing 26 which is secured to the outer surface of one side wall of the container, preferably in such manner that the attachment means are not accessible to tampering. The outer wall 28 ofthe casing 26 isprovided with a slot 27 through which a coin of a predetermined size may be inserted. The inner surface of the wall 28 is equipped adjacent the coin slot 27 with a chute 29 through which the coin C inserted into the slot is Vmoved by' gravity 'in an inclined direction, slidingloff the chute and onto therear portion of a lever 30 which is pivoted at 31 below jsaid re'ar portion on a.

` `stud 32 projecting from the wall28`of the casing. The rear ortion of the lever com'- prises'two incline `walls 33,-` 34, which are.

parallel to each other and which, in the no rr 4mal position ofthe lever 30 a-re arranged in pocket for the coin is confined opposite the 4 wall 28 by the rear wall 36 of the casing, to prevent lateral discharge of the coin and to prevent also that a coin of a size larger than desired should enter between the two walls of the pocket. f

The front end of the lever 30 is provided with a locking detent 37 which extends downward and which normally is in locking engagement with a detent or projection 38 of a rotary element 39 secured to a shaft 40. Thev latter is supported in the wall 28 of the casing 26 and also extends trans versely through" the container 1. Rotation of the shaft 40 therefore may only be eected upon withdrawal of the locking fin er, 37 from the element 39 and this with rawal takesl place upon insertion of a coin and the with the lower edge of the pocket in thel lever 30. As long as no coinv is inserted the element 39 and-hence also shaft 40 are locked against rotation by the finger 37 of the lever -30 and if this finger would be raised the element 39 could pass below the lever 30. The

however, and normally located in the path of the conn-supports the coin in a position in which this com is still partly inserted in the pocket of the lever 30, the coin thereby becoming the operative connecting link between the element 39 and the lever.

If now an attempt is made to rotate the element 39 Ithe coin partly resting on the projection .42 of Avthe element and partly resting in the pocket of the lever 30, will act to transmit this-part rotation to the lever and thereby to raise the holding finger 37 out' of the path of the front projection 38 of the element 39. Theelement 39 and shaft `40 can then be rotated and after having serted. -As'the rotary element 39 howeverhas gone past the lower end of the coin pocket the coin will now drop from the i projection 42 at the rear end of the segment,

rojecpocket into a coin box orvsome other suitable receptacle (not shown) or into the' lower part of tlie casing. The projection 42 -is located in a vertical plane different from that of the detent 37, so as to pass by said detent, even though the same be returned to i locking position 3). The *movement of. the rotary element 39' with the `shaft 4t) secured thereto can now be continued until the front end 38 of the element 39 again "approaches the holding detent or finger y37 of the lever 30, in which position the` parts are again locked against Ycontinuation of the rotation in the same direction. 5 Rotation in the opposite direction is prevented at all times owing to the arrangement of a ratchet lwheel 44, fixedly connected with the shaft 40 and a pawl 45 forced by a spring 46 into engagement with the surface of the teeth of the ratchet; so as ,to permit of rotation of said ratchet in one direction only.

- For the purpose offacilitating the rota-- i tion of the shaft' 40 on which the locking element 39 is mounted, the shaft carries au knob o`r `handle 47, which projects from the casing 26. The shaft 40 has a bearing in the rwall 28 of the coin control mechanism and its other end is suitably Vsupported inv a bearing in the opposite side wall of the con-v tainer.y

As the gea-r 24 'onshaft 40 meshes with `the pinion 23 on the`conveyer roller 21 for frictionally engaging the web materia-l and as the shaft 40yis stopped aftercompletion l'of one revolution, the conveyer rollerA also willponly make a predetermined number of.

' revolutions so that' with the deposition of a c in a predetermined length of strip lwill be "lhe shaft 40 on which the gear 24 is mounted also is instrumental for ordinarily maintaining the gate inl closing' position.

removed.v from the spool and carried 'to the For this purpose one or more cams or eccentrics are secured to the shaft (one cam only being shown) these eccentrios frictionally engage in'normal position, i. e.,- when the shaft islat rest, a transverse bar 51 which connects the'bars 16 that are associated with .the gate -7 The transverse rod `51 also serves to stiifen the gate actuating structure, and

. a collar or enlargement 52 'secured ,in some rsuitable way to rodl 57 absrbs the 'wear caused by the frictional engagement of the eccentrics, arms or ca ms .50 mounted, on the i 'shaft 40. -The length of these arms is selected so as to forcethe bars lrearwardly .about their pivot 17'and, against the rear end ofthe slot in the links 12, thereby. forcing back these links anditen'sioning the springsinterposed between the linksand the Upon rofixed point 14.-'of the container. tating the shaft 40, after deposition of the coin, the eccentrics -or arms 50 secured to the shaftii()A will pasa beyond the enlargearms 50 mounted on the shaft 40, afternearly completing the entire revolution of the shaft, againfrictionally act on the enlargement 52 attached to the transverse rod 51 and their eccentric operative surfaces will force the rod and the bars 16 against the tension of the springs 13 back, thereby also forcing the gate towards closing posit-ion. In the meanti1ne,'however, a predetermined length of web material W has been con- Veyed through the opened gate outward.

As the springs 13 Iact von the links 12 only for forcing the gate ouitward tb open position, and as the eccentrios or cams50 act on the bars 16 only for forcing the gate towards closing position, a tight actua-l closure of the gate could only be yobtained if the eccentrics or cams 50 would be suitably' finished with an exactness which ordinarily is not required and which for manufacturing reasons n ot desirable in a device of this character. In 'order to actually bring the gate ,into closing position (even though the engagement of the cams 50 with the enlargement 52 of the rod 51 would not induce` the v gate to engage the edge of the lcontainer), the springs 18 are secured between the links 12v and the bars 16. After the v Ibars 16 are forced rearwardly bythe cams 50 into engagementv with the ends of the slots in thelinks 12, the springs 18 are practically anchored at their rear ends to the bars 16 and exert a pulling effect on the links 12, so that the gate 7 will be pressed against the edge of the container, to tightly close the discharge slot 9.

The companion roller 22 which coacts with the conveyancel roller 2 for carrying a strip of web material W to the slot 9 is prefer- 60, each inserted into a recess 61 in -the side walls of the container C. In this way the companion roller 22 will always be forced,

frictionally intocontact with the conveyer .roller 21 or into contact with that strip of` paper respectively which has been inserted between' the conveyer and the companion roller, forcing the paper into engagement with the, conveyer roller and assuring thereby that upon each rotation of the conveyer-r roller a predetermined 4 length of strip is carried Vfrom` the spool. A The operation of the device isas follows:

inserting that ymember on 'which the web materia] to bedispensed in the apparatusl is stored;y 'in the present case this lmember ably supported in spring controlled bearings The container is charged by removing the l front cover (not shown inthe drawing) and spindle 3 or bobbin of the spool is rotatably supported in suitable pockets of the side walls and is held against withdrawal by the catch. The free end of the web material W is threaded from the spool through the space between the rollers 21 and 22, the smaller companion roller 22 being supported in spring controlled bearings 60 which permit the withdrawal of the roller 22 from engagement with the roller 21 to facilitate the threading of the web through the space between the two rollers; and the free end of the web is then pushed out through the slot 10, which is normally covered byA the yielding gate.

The cover of the container is then restored in place and locked in a suitable way so as to protect .the contents against tampering.

Rotation of the shaft in counter-clockwise direction cannot be effected by the knob or handle 47 as the sector 39 is stopped by the depending end 37 of thelever 30, while rotation in the other direction is rendered impossible through the arrange-ment of the ratchet device. r

Upon insertion of a coin into the slot 27 the coin will dropv through the chute so as to lie partly on the rear end 42 of the sector 39 and partly on the lever 30 between the walls 33 and 34. If now the knob 47 is turned counter-clockwise, the upward movement of the rear end 42 of the sector 39 is through the coin C transmitted to the lever 30, the coin being acted on `from one side by the part 42 and acting with the other side against lever 30. This will remove the nger 37 4from the front end 38 of the sector 39 so as to release the shaft 40 for rotation. In the continued rotation of the shaft 40 two operations Itake place. Y l

The gearing controlled by the shaft 40 imparts rotation to the conveyer roller 21 so as to unwind a part of the web material and feed said web material in direction towards the slot 9. At the same time, right at the beginning of the rotation of the shaft 40, the cam 50 is moved out of engagement withthe enlargement 52 on the shaft 51, therebyreleasing the gate controlling structure which consists of the bars 16 and links 12, to the action of the spring 13. The springs immediately force the links 12 and thereby Athe gate 7 forwardly, to move the gate to open position. That part of the web material which is forcibly taken off theestored quantity -is thereby fed through the slot as long as the rotation of the roller 21 continues.

Short time after the rotation of the shaft 40 in counter-clockwise direction has set in, the rear part 42 of the sector 39 passes below the end of the coin and the latter drops into the lowerppart of the casing 26 vin which a coin box (not shown) may be dlsposed.

f rod 51 connecting When thisV has taken place, the spring 43 draws the lever 30 downwardly until the detent 37 of thelever rests on a boss 49 which projects from the inner surface of the casingl 26 inwardly.v In this position the detent 37 again will enter into v locking engagement with the forward projection 38 ofthe sector 39 when the latter after com letion of one revolution strikes against sai detent.

Towards the end of the revolution the cam 50 again is forced towards the transverse the bars 16 so as to move these bars, and t ereby also the links 12, towards the rear of the container C. This will also move the gate towards closing position and the movement into tight closing position is completed by springs 18 which are interposed between the lower ends of the bars 16 and the links 12 to force these links againstthe action of the springs 13 rearwardly until the gate at its lower edge is in touch with the Irear edge of the slot 9. The gate therefore is opened at the beginning and closed at the end of the operative movement. The

`paper discharged from the slot may now be withdrawn by being torn ofrn along the edge of the gate.

A cover 70 is provided in the wall 28 near the 1iower end thereof. This cover overlies an opening 71 and has at one end on the inner surface thereof, a projecting finger 72 which is spaced from the inner surface of the cover a distance equal to the thickness of the wall of the casing 26,'so that the cover may be put in place `by inserting it sideways into the opening and then swinging it to closing position towards the wall 28. The other end of the cover 70 is provided with a notched projection 72 adapted to receive the lower end of a vertical bar 73 which is continuously forced downwardly by a spring 74 anchored at its lower end at 7 5 on the wall of -73 from locking engagement with the notch whereupon the entire cover 70 can be swung Qutwardly and can be withdrawn so as to grant access from the outside to the coins deposited in the lower part of the casing 26.

When the cover/70 is restored in place, the vertical bar 73 will automatically be forced into-locking engagement with the holdingr notch of the cover.

I claim:4

1. In a device of the character'described,

the combination of an actuating mechanism, a container, means controlled by said mechanism for discharging material stored in said container, a gate, and means for normally ses urging said gate to lopen position, a locking element ifor rendering said opening means inoperative and another means under control -o the actuating mechanism for successively releasing the locking means of the gate to render the openingmeans operative and for reapplying the locking means.

In a. deviceof the character described, the combination of an actuating mechanism, a container, means controlled by said actuating mechanism for imparting discharge movement to merchandise stored in the interior of the container, a gatemeans for moving said gate to open position, said means.

being normally held inoperative and a mechanism controlled by the said actuating mechanism for releasing the gate to the action of said opening means.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of an actuating mechanism, a container, means under control of the actuating mechanism for discharging mate-y rial from the container, a gate, springs assoto normally move said gate to open position,` means under control of the actuating mechanism for moving the gate towards closlng position, and another set of springs for mov-4 ing said gate fully into closing position after said 'second named means have been actuated.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of an actuating mechanism, a container, means under control of said mechanism for discharging material from of bars said container, a. gate, automatic means for openmg said gate, and means operative upon the beginning of the movement ofsaid actuating mechanism for releasing said kgate to the action of said automatic means.`

5. In va'device of the character described, the combination of an actuating mechanism, a container, a. gate pivotallymounted on said container, a pair of bars pivoted to 4said container, links connecting said bars with the gate, and a transverse rod connecting said bars, said mechanism being adapted to engage said transverse rod to impart movement to the gate.

6. In a device of 'the character described,

the combination of an actuatingmechanism, a container,-a gate movably mounted on the container, bars pivoted to thecontainer, a transverse rod connecting the bars, links interposed bet-Ween said bars and the gate, said mechanism including means for intermittently actuatlng sald transverse rod to eectA movement of the ciated with the gate and havlng a tendency JOSEPH PAUPA. 

